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CHLOE, GRADE 12
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May 18, 2012 
Dear Friends,
Did you know that you, too, could write for the Connection? If you feel inspired to share your experiences or impressions of school events, click here to send us your article. Click here for the link to the submission guidelines. (They can be found at the very end of the Connection as well.)
Next issue: June 1
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A L L S C H O O L N E W S
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The Virtue Of Each OneAs we go about our daily lives, at the Seattle Waldorf School we find ourselves surrounded by beauty, creativity and love. We see and feel this in the students' faces and their work, of course, but also through the work of volunteers whose many gifts transform SWS from a school into a village. As someone who has been around for a good while (my youngest graduated from eighth grade in 2004), I have had the pleasure of enjoying many a school celebration created by parent volunteers, and remember the parent who placed the stones for the steps from the upper play field to the first grade play yard, and who sewed the costumes for The Sound of Music long ago. Many of these memories come into my consciousness as I move through the grade school, and each gives me a small warm burst of joy and gratitude. New such memories are added all the time now that I work here, and I feel like I carry a beautiful, ever growing necklace of moments, reminding me of the wonderful people at SWS.
As I reflected on how to express the gratitude and admiration that our volunteers deserve, I found this verse by Rudolf Steiner:
The healthy social life is found,
When, in the mirror of each human soul,
The whole community finds its reflection;
And when, in the community,
The virtue of each one is living.
What a rich community we have thanks to you, our volunteers!
Gratefully, Gabi McCarthy Welcoming Light & Beauty
The missing stained glass windows in Huckleberry Hall are no longer missing!
   
In October of 2011 Gary Yonge, parent of an SWS graduate and husband of Bev, our business manager, was inspired to see the window project in the Hall completed. (Only two of the four stained glass windows from the original design had been installed so far.) He teamed up with Susan St. John and Susanne Isakson, both grade 1 parents, and together the three of them worked to rekindle interest in the PCC scrip program. Within a couple of months the scrip program proceeds had reached the $2,000 needed complete the series of windows.
In 2007 Diann Lyons Shope, ....need to fill this in, contracted Steven Wrubleski from eidos Architectural Glass Studio on Lopez Island to design four windows for the north wall of Huckleberry Hall, and to make and install two of those windows in memory of her parents Velma and Ben Lyons, hoping that someday the other two would be added. Fortunately Steven bought enough of the hand blown glass to complete all 4 windows and has been hanging on to the unused portion of glass ever since. In the fall of 2011 he had begun to wonder if he was ever going to get a call to finish the last 2 windows. Roughly 2 weeks after he had voiced his wonderings, he received a call from Gary asking for a meeting to discuss finishing the windows.
Here is the artist's statement from June 2007:
I have always appreciated Steiner's studies of the properties and movement of the elemental forces in the natural world, and also, the Waldorf educational system's consideration of the evolution of consciousness as embodied in each developing human. I have devoted much time to observing the languages of stone and of water; each revealing its individual qualities of movement. This artwork expresses a dynamic conversation between water and stone, and hopefully embodies some of the beautiful spirit of each. I am grateful for the opportunity to design and produce this stained glass for the Seattle Waldorf School community.
Last week Steven told Gary that our windows have been one of his all time favorite projects in his career working with glass. We are all very pleased to welcome the final panels of "Eternal Dialogue, Water and Stone" to our beloved and ever busy Huckleberry Hall.
We would like to enthusiastically thank Diann Shope, Steven Wrubleski, Gary Yonge, Susanne Isakson and Susan St. John for bringing so much beauty to our grade school. A special thanks goes to all the members of our community who use their scrip cards at PCC. Our new windows are simply lovely and create a wondrous light for all of us. Shelly McSweyn, grade 10 parent and grade school receptionist More Treasures, Added and Found - Thank You!We are grateful to Terry Downes, Briar Rose and grade 3 parent, who built a beautiful shed to protect the firewood that is used every Tuesday when the Briar Rose class enjoys pancakes. Middle school cellos now have a place to live, thanks to Michael Montague, also a Briar Rose and grade 3 parent, who crafted the graceful rolling rack at Mr. Murphy's request. Digging for treasure is a perennial favorite at May Faire and this year's parent volunteers, fearlessly led by Ted Siebert (Briar Rose and grade 2 parent) took this activity to a whole new level. There was a chest with clues, including metal shackles, a quest, more clues, and a major dig, yielding major loot! Click here to see a short slide show of the treasure hunt. Arrr!   
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Help Us Evaluate Our School Communication - Survey Coming Your Way
It has happened to all of us - some days we are missing the one important piece of information we NEED to plan ahead, some days there is way more information than we can deal with, and some days the communications from the school are juuust right! We would like to hear from you through a short communication survey - after all, we want our communications to be just right FOR YOU as much as possible. The survey will be emailed out to you on Monday.
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Picture This!
Sharing photos from our full and colorful community life is easy with SmugMug, a service that the school makes available to all grades at no cost, with a section for each class and a section for community events.
How do you view photos? How do you upload photos for others to see? Are there any restrictions?
All good questions! To balance convenience and privacy, we've chosen to keep our SmugMug site private from the general public, but accessible to our community via a single log-in and password. Each class can then decide if they want to further protect their images with an additional password for their class only. Each class can also create their own set of guidelines, based on our community-wide guidelines. In order to keep our community password private, we will email it to each household along with more information about creating your class-specific guidelines.     PHOTOS THANKS TO JANE HIGGINS, GRADE 4 & 10 PARENT, AND TATIANA AVAEVA, GRADE 2 PARENT.
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Wishlist - Looking for costumes The first grade will be doing a play, based on a fairy tale from the Incas. Grade 1 teacher Betsy Weill is looking to borrow some simple costumes to use for the play. Does anyone have any fabric, sashes, shirts, etc. from Central or South America that might be appropriate to lend? |
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Focus On Faculty
"Naoki should open a restaurant!" Delicious smells often permeate the grade school where Naoki Hirata , known as Hirata Sensei to the students, regularly enriches Japanese class with cooking lessons. (Parent helpers are not hard to find for this volunteer job!) Naoki was born and raised in the Niigata prefecture in Japan. He studied pharmacy at Kanazawa University in Kanazawa City, which is located on the Sea of Japan in the middle area of Japan, and after graduating he worked as a pharmacist for a hospital in his hometown. Naoki spent most of his twenties in Tokyo to attend acupuncture school while working as a pharmacist. He enjoyed the busy metropolitan lifestyle, but his life was changed when he encountered Anthroposophy through a friend. Naoki immediately joined an Anthroposophical study group and, as he learned more, was fascinated by Steiner's philosophy.
In 1983 Naoki and his w ife Yumiko moved to Camphill Village in Beaver Run, Pennsylvania, to explore curative education and Anthroposophy. They spent four years as seminarists, caring for and living with mentally handicapped children. Their first child was born and Waldorf education became a real practice for their own child as well. Naoki trained as a Waldorf teacher at the Waldorf Institute in New York State. The Hiratas then moved back to Japan and Naoki worked as a kindergarten teacher for a school using a Waldorf approach. Naoki's and Yumiko's ever growing commitment to Waldorf education prompted them to leave their country and family behind and move to Seattle and SWS, where Naoki has been teaching Japanese ever since. He loves sharing his language and culture with American students.
Click here to read more about Camphill, an organization dedicated to social renewal through community building with children, youth, and adults who have developmental disabilities.
PHOTOS THANKS TO CINDY SCHEYER, GRADE 7 PARENT
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Forever After: Helping Children Re-Connect With Loved Ones Who Die
Previously appeared in LILIPOH magazine. Used with permission. www.lilipoh.comThis article by Shea Darian is a wonderful resource for families who are dealing with a loss in their family or community.
... the problem with much of the advice being doled out to parents and caregivers concerning death is that it fails to balance the finality of death with the fact that-in one way or another-our relationship with a loved one who dies continues even after their death.
"Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality." ~ Emily Dickinson The Gradual Dawning of Death Just shy of my fifth birthday, my beloved "Pappaw" -as we grandkids affectionately called him-suddenly died of a heart attack. I didn't know then that I should be devastated by the loss. As a young child, I hadn't yet grasped the gravity of death. Looking into my grandfather's open casket, the magical thinking of early childhood had me believing that all I had to do was shake my grandpa awake. I leaned toward his face and whispered, "Wake up, Pappaw." I wanted him to open his eyes and tell me what all the crying was about. It took me years to fully understand that I would never see my grandfather in the flesh again. Click here to read more.
Both inspirational and practical, LILIPOH is a quarterly lifestyles magazine for the growing populace known as culture-creatives, folks interested in holistic health, well-being, creativity, spirituality, gardening, education, art and social health. Articles, art, poetry, reviews of books, CDs and DVDs, and news make LILIPOH a well-rounded, solution-oriented publication for creative, green-minded, thinking individuals, who have an interest in spiritual inquiry and a desire to make a difference in the world. LILIPOH is an acronym for Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, through Health. Click here to see additional articles or to subscribe. |
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P A R E N T A S S O C I A T I O N
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All School End-Of-The-Year Picnic - June 13, 1 pm Gather with our entire school community at the end-of-year picnic, as we say good-bye to friends and welcome in the summer vacation. Join us on Wednesday, June 13 any time after 1 pm at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford. BYOE. (Bring your own everything - blanket, food, dishes, balls, bubbles, fun.) |
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H I G H S C H O O L N E W S
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Senior Project Festival
The dream child of Neil Weinberg, this event is going on as this edition of the Connection is finalized, and you may still be able to go see some of the presentations this afternoon! Our seniors have prepared a wide variety of topics from Food: Where it comes from and how it's made to Rock Climbing, Prototyping a Robot, Building a Guitar, An Exploration in Portraiture, Stop Motion Animation, Lawn Mower Repair, Swing Dancing and more. Musical interludes presented by the string ensemble, grade 11 and the choir, and display of seniors' artwork round out this amazing offering to our community. Click here for the schedule. Click here for a short video of the swing dance demonstration.
  
High School Ultimate - Play-Off Game At Woodland Park This Saturday
The high school B-team will participate in the DiscNW High School C Division Championship this Saturday, May 19. All are invited to cheer on our players! The first game at 4 pm against Everett will be at Lower Woodland 2A. Win or lose, our team will play again at 5:30 pm. If we win the first game, we stay on the same field. If we lose the first game, we move over to Lower Woodland 2B. These are the only two games we will play on Saturday, and they will determine first through fourth place in Division C. Click here for DiscNW to see names of the other teams and play-off brackets.
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G R A D E S C H O O L N E W S
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Lost & Found Interferes With Pick-Up Schedule! 
Believe this can't be true? Think again! The Lost & Found basket by the door has been OVERFLOWING with items left behind, and we believe that each and every one of those items is actually trying to pus h their way out to the pick-up circle to be noticed, recognized for the treasure they are, taken home and loved again forever more. Help us prevent long lines at pick-up time because of pushy sweatshirts, water bottles, socks and more, jostling for a prime spot to catch your attention! The lost and found will be on display all of next week on tables in the lobby or outside, weather permitting. Come get your stuff before it makes a break for it!
Grade 8 - Join Us For Oliver Twist
Friday, May 25 and Saturday, May 26 at 7 pm, Grade School Campus, Huckleberry Hall
All are invited to see the grade 8 class play Oliver Twist, based on the book by Charles Dickens. Free.
Grade 7 - Poetry Evening
During their Creative Writing block, grade 7 students have been studying different types of descriptive language and writing poems of their own. This past Wednesday, families were invited to a Poetry Evening. One by one the gallant reciters stood up before the gathered group of parents and friends and regaled all with verses culled from poets both famous and unknown, serious and humorous, loquacious and concise. Cookies were nibbled and punch was drunk. Some in the audience were moved to write their own verse, like the following:  I once saw a Poetry Knight Who always managed to write Such wonderful prose With the tip of his nose His verse sailed like the tail of a kite
Jim Krantz, grade 5, 7 & 9 parent
I was struck by how much poise and presence each of the students has. They did a beautiful job reciting their own poetry and reading poetry by other authors. It was a beautiful evening! Cindy Scheyer, grade 7 parent |
Grade 5 - Knitting Up A Storm
Grade 5 students learned to knit in the round this year, making beautiful socks, hats, fingerless gloves and felted bags.
 
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E A R L Y C H I L D H O O D N E W S
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Briar Rose - Little People The Little People dressed for a party at Briar Rose.
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C O M M U N I T Y A N N O U N C E M E N T S
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This section provided as a free service to the SWS community.
What Are Our Community Members Up To?
Vienna, SWS grade 7 student, will be performing Scottish fiddle music at Folk Life! See her perform with the Northwest Scottish Fiddlers at 4 pm on Friday, May 25 at the Center House Theatre (downstairs). Come early, as every seat has been filled for this group's performance the last couple of years. You can also see her that same afternoon (Friday, May 25) at 5 pm with Calum MacKinnon on the Northwest Court Stage. Calum, a retired Boeing engineer who "gave up Boeing for bowing," is a well-known local Scottish fiddler, who will be performing with The Next Generation, a group of three teens, including Vienna.
Fred Ingham, Lupine preschool parent, is the 'Mindful Media Reviewer' for the blog Community Of Mindful Parents, where he recently posted his review of a wonderful parenting book, The Blessings Of A Skinned Knee. His article will give you plenty of food for thought and you may want to check out other reviews that Fred has posted. Click here to read the review.
Michelle Millard-Kish, grade 1 & 2 parent, is inviting families of current grades 1 and 2, as well as parents of the upcoming grade 1 to a standing play date - Wednesdays at the park! Join in every Wednesday from 1 to 3 pm at Meridian Park Playground in Wallingford and maybe stay for a picnic at the Farmers Market! Click here for a map. Michelle recommends bringing a second set of clothes - there is access to water!
In case you missed it in the last issue...
Alyssa Gehman, SWS alumni, is working on a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology as she studies parasites in Georgia. Her love of parasites began during her undergraduate studies at Colorado College, when her professor mentioned that most animals have at least one parasite, and many parasites have parasites, making parasitic organisms much more common than non-parasitic organisms. Even more fascinating is that many of them can manipulate the behavior of their hosts. Click here to learn more about Alyssa's work.
SWS alumni Rafael & Rohan Ladmer Price will be on the stage, Nick Durand in the orchestra pit, and Calum Houston behind the sound board for the Nathan Hale High School production of Hairspray. Two more shows this weekend, Friday and Saturday, May 18-19 at 7:30 pm in the Nathan Hale Performing Arts Center. Click here for more information. |
Summer Camps, Lectures, Workshops, Concerts, Festivals Etc.
Looking For A Summer Camp?
Click here to see a list of camps for all ages that community members have suggested.
A Midsummer Night's Dream - On Whidbey Island
Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19, 7 pm, Huckleberry Hall, Whidbey Island Waldorf School
The WIWS Players will be performing: 7th and 8th grade classes, with a little help from a few 6th graders too! Dress warmly, as this is an outdoor performance pavillion. No admission fee, but donations gratefully accepted. www.wiws.org
Seattle Family Dance - Simple Dances For Kids Under 10 And Their Families Sunday, May 20, 3-5 pm, Phinney Neighborhood Center-Community Hall WB Reid and Bonnie Zhanow provide delightful tunes with dances called by visiting caller David Kaynor of Montague Center, MA. Come join the fun! SFS/PNA Members: $5 per person, $15 per family; all others $6 per person, $18 per family. Find the Community Hall at 6532 Phinney Ave N., Seattle and go into the brick building using the lower parking lot entry. More info: Rosemary and grade 1 parent Clare Woolgrove clare@seattlerolfer.com or seattledance.org/family. There you will also find information on the many free family dances offered at Folklife on Memorial Day weekend. Renewal Courses At High Mowing School June 24 - 29 & July 1 - 6, Wilton, New Hampshire Click here for a flyer with over 20 courses for Waldorf teachers, parents, administrators, trustees, and friends of Waldorf education, as well as for artists and thinkers seeking to deepen their lives through Anthroposophy. 2012 International Steiner Waldorf Parents Network Conference October 12-14 in Florence, Italy
It is becoming more evident that there is revolutionary change occurring in primary schools worldwide, which has to a large extent been initiated by parents wanting to provide something better for their children. This year's topic for the INSWaP conference is How is it that Steiner Waldorf Parents can contribute? Click here for the flyer. Read About International Waldorf News Freunde der Erziehungskunst Rudolf Steiners (translated: Friends of the Pedagogy of Rudolf Steiner) is now available online. Click here for the Spring 2012 Newsletter in English. |
Looking to Rent a house August 2 - 5
Lots of family coming to town! We would love to rent a house within 10 minutes of the school August 2 - 5. Call Teresa at 206-372-3405.
Apartment on Urban FarmWe have a half-acre urban farm in the quiet Broadview neighborhood with a separate living space available: Apartment is on the ground floor with level entry to large back yard, vegetable garden, orchard, 'farmyard' and beautiful wooded area. Farm/property is a work-in-progress. Rental includes: One bedroom, 3/4 bath, large living room with fireplace and kitchen, shared laundry facilities. Approximately 750 sf. We have two small children, so a tolerance for all that comes with a family environment is necessary (OK, it can get pretty loud sometimes). We have no television and lead a fairly low-tech lifestyle. Rent is $775/month, utilities $180. Possible partial rent trade for childcare. Birds and fish OK. Click here to request photos. Call Tamara at 206-361-2626.
Summer childcare needed
We are a North Seattle family looking for a part-time nanny/sitter for the summer (late June to late August). Our daughter (3 years) and son (6 years) are very active, imaginative kids who play well together and love being outside. We need someone 3 days/week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Please contact Susan at
Ironwood Workshops - Crafts For Girls & Boys, Ages 11 to 14
Session 1: Monday, July 9 - Friday, July 13, 9 am - 3 pm, $360 (includes all materials)
Session 2: Monday, July 16 - Friday, July 20, 9 am - 3 pm, $360 (includes all materials)
In these outdoor workshops limited to 10 participants, students will learn to work with three amazing tools dating back to antiquity: Pit Forge, Shaving Horse, & Pole Lathe. (Click on a tool to watch a short video demonstration.) Each day students will work with the various tools, developing two or more projects over the course of the week. No previous experience is necessary. For more information and registration, visit ironwoodworkshops.com. Ironwood Workshops, located in north Seattle, are led by Mike Kline, a trained Waldorf teacher and practicing artist. For the past fourteen years, Mr. Kline has been teaching various 'practical arts' using wood, copper, iron, and willow to students in grades 5-12 in Waldorf schools in upstate New York, Vancouver, B.C., and currently in Seattle at the Seattle Waldorf High School. Mike Kline's artwork can be viewed at mklineart.com .
Summer Child Care Offered
Sommer Whitmarsh, Extended Day Care Assistant for Bright Water School, will be available for summer time child care during the last 3 weeks in June as well as evening care anytime during the summer. Sommer lives in Montlake and enjoys spending time with children outdoors, playing and exploring nature, learning songs, doing crafts and telling stories. She has experience with all ages and is in her second year of teacher training with Sound Circle Center. Please email if interested: sommeryvc@gmail.com
Art Classes, Workshops, Private Lessons
The Drawing Room is a thriving creative studio and full-time arts enrichment program for children, teens and adults. Age and developmentally appropriate classes, workshops and private lessons in visual art and creative writing are offered. Classes take place in a beautiful historic Ballard studio, providing a space that is nurturing, engaging, and supportive. The instructors are professional artists and experienced fine arts and writing teachers, who have worked with local schools, colleges and museum education programs. Here students can feel free and uninhibited to explore their creativity while sharpening their skills and heightening aesthetic awareness. The Drawing Room offers:
- individualized instruction, small group lessons and workshops.
- flexible scheduling (perfect for homeschoolers).
- exploration in drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, creative writing, handmade zines, and more.
- support for each student's unique expression and discovery of the joy of creativity.
Please contact Kim Overton Miller, grade 6 parent at 206-707-1038 or visit thedrawingroom-art.com for more information.
Monochord For Sale
A monochord consists of a single string stretched over a sound box. Numerical ratios can be experienced as sounds with this instrument. The monochord can be used to experience musical ratios and relate this experience to mathematics. This instrument is in excellent condition. Originally over $100, available for $45. Contact sandrakipper@yahoo.com if interested.
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S O U N D C I R C L E C E N T E R
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Sound Circle Center will soon unveil a new website! The spring newsletter with articles and information about SCC is now available online here. It features articles by several guest presenters in our summer intensive courses.
Summer At Sound Circle: Rekindling The Flame In Arts, Anthroposophy And Teaching
July 2-6 and July 9-13, at the Seattle Waldorf School, 2728 NE 100th St, Seattle
Sound Circle's summer courses and evening lectures are available to "becoming" teachers, practicing teachers seeking continuing education, and the wider community. This year's courses include middle school science, early childhood movement and festivals, karma in everyday encounters and experiences, and practical advice for all teachers. To view the full summer program offerings, click here.
Foundation Year
Sound Circle is currently accepting applications for its eighth Foundation Year, which begins in September, 2012 at the Seattle Waldorf School. The Foundation Year serves as the first year of Waldorf Teacher Training, and is also open to those interested in more deeply knowing themselves and the world through creative arts and Anthroposophy. For more information on the Foundation Year, click here.
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WATERCOLOR, DEVIN, BRIAR ROSE
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Mission
We educate our students to be free human beings who impart purpose and meaning to their lives,
who meet life with courage, and respond with initiative and creativity to the needs of the world and their fellow human beings.
  
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Connection is published bi-weekly when school is in session.
Please email all submissions directly to: newsletter@seattlewaldorf.org.
All articles or ads for the next issue are due by noon on Tuesday, May 29.
Submissions Guidelines © 2010 Seattle Waldorf School.
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